The 2025 Red Sea Film Festival, which opens in Jeddah on Thursday, has begun announcing its lineup of winners.
Never one to shy away from tapping into star power, the Saudi festival’s ‘first wave’ includes British, American and French screen icons Michael Caine, Sigourney Weaver and Juliette Binoche. Meanwhile, French-Algerian film director Rachid Bouchareb and Hong Kong action film legend Stanley Tong will also be honored.
Binoche will also appear as part of Kering | The Women in Motion program includes the initiative’s first panel discussion held at this year’s Red Sea Festival. Launched at Kering, Cannes 2015 | Women in Motion aims to highlight the talent and diversity of women both in front of and behind the camera.
In addition to Binoche, the panel will also include Saudi filmmaker Shahad Amin and Palestinian-American actor and director Sherian Davis, and will be moderated by Finn Harrigan, head of international programs at Red Sea.
“Each of this year’s Red Sea Prize winners is an artist who represents the best in cinema in the world, whose work has inspired audiences around the world and added to the fabric of film culture,” said Faisal Baltuoğlu, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation. “We look forward to celebrating their extraordinary contributions at this year’s fifth annual festival and fostering conversations that provide meaningful insight and inspiration for filmmakers, audiences, and the region’s rapidly evolving film community.”
Yesterday, Red Sea revealed some of the names that will be taking part in this year’s In Conversation session, with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Adrien Brody and Sean Baker now confirmed.
